The design and fabrication challenges in the first ever attempt to realize a 1-THz vacuum tube amplifier are described. Implementation of innovative solutions including a slow-wave structure in the form of a double corrugated waveguide, lateral tapered input and output couplers, deep X-ray LIGA fabrication process, and a cascade architecture of the backward wave amplifier are discussed. New knowledge in the field of terahertz vacuum devices brought by intensive simulations and development of advanced fabrication and assembly processes of the microstructures is highlighted
The double corrugated waveguide (DCW), incorporating a row of metallic pillars on each side of the electron beam, is demonstrated as a promising slow-wave structure for millimeter wave, Ka-band, traveling wave tubes (TWTs). Different configurations, including novel bent couplers with tapered pillars, have been designed, realized, and validated by S-parameter measurements. The design and simulation of a DCW TWT demonstrated very good performance in the frequency band 32-37 GHz. The ease of fabrication and assembly make the DCW a suitable basis for a new generation of millimeter wave TWTs.
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